Establishing a mesh network with wired and wireless links

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention solve problems experienced by mesh networks concerning loop formation where two nodes are connected by both a wired and wireless link. The present invention prevents or ‘breaks’ a loop that that would otherwise result in continually repeating and delayed network data transmission.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 61/261,612 filed Nov. 16, 2009, the disclosure of whichincorporate herein by reference.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/008,715 filed Jan. 11, 2008 and entitled “Determining Associations ina Mesh Network.” The disclosure of the aforementioned applications isincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to wired and wirelesscommunication networks and more particularly to establishing a meshnetwork with wired and wireless links.

Description of Related Art

A mesh network allows for communication of information through multiplenodes, which may be distributed over a wide area. The multiple nodesallow for an information packet to travel through multiple routes to agiven receiving node or device. The nodes in a mesh network maycommunicate through wired (e.g. Ethernet) or wireless connections (e.g.,IEEE 802.x).

In a lightweight mesh network, a single wired node may serve as anaccess point (e.g., a base station). The base station may be incommunication with multiple wireless receiving nodes. Each node may havean internal mesh basic service set (MBSS). Each MBSS in the mesh networkmay have a unique basic service set identifier (BSSID) but share anidentical service set identifier (SSID) and/or pre-shared key (PSK). Anode may identify another node in the network by reference to thatnode's BSSID. The transmission of an information packet from one node toanother may be referred to as a hop. Each of the nodes in a mesh networkmay connect with one another through one or more hops. For example, afirst receiving node, or child node, receives information from a parentnode via one hop.

A mesh network where all nodes are directly connected to one other maybe referred to as a fully connected network. A mesh network where onlysome nodes are connected to all other or a subset of nodes may bereferred to as a partially connected network. Information transmissionin a fully connected network may take only one hop (e.g., from aoriginating node to a destination child node). In a partially connectedmesh network, however, information transmission may require multiplehops through multiple nodes. If there is one node is not directlyconnected to a particular destination node, transmission of informationfrom the origin to the destination may require passage through anintermediate node (or nodes) thereby invoking at least a two hoptransmission.

In a network composed of wireless and wired links, an information packetmay be transmitted to a receiving node or device through multiple nodesover wireless and/or wired connections. Where two nodes are connected bya wireless and a wired link (e.g., an 802.x and an Ethernet connection),the wired link may serve as an alternate route by which the informationpacket may travel; the wireless connection may be the primary means ofpacket delivery. The particular route taken by an information packet maybe determined by various available routing algorithms at the originatingand/or intermediate nodes. Routing algorithms generally seek to transmitand allow for the delivery of information packets to a destination nodeas quickly and efficiently as possible.

Determining a route in a partially connected network or wired andwireless connections presents a difficult optimization problem. Routingalgorithms may have to determine how a node learns what other nodes areavailable, with which of the other node(s) to associate, whichassociations allow for the quickest and most efficient informationtransfer, and the reliability of those connections. Some routingalgorithms may determine or require that a receiving node be associatedwith particular route(s) and/or particular parent node(s).

Various circumstances may nevertheless require that a route be changedfor a given receiving node. For example, an intermediate transmissionnode may fail whereby the receiving node and/or parent node has toassociate with a different intermediate node. Other circumstancesrequiring a change in routing may include changes in network trafficvolume, changes in data rates, security requirements, and even changesin environmental conditions that might affect the network (e.g., theweather).

Another problem experienced by a mesh network is loop formation. A loopcan form where two nodes are connected by both a wired and wirelesslink. Since an information packet can travel through any of the twolinks between the two nodes, it is possible that once a packet istransmitted to a receiving node via the wired link, the packet can betransmitted back to the sending node via the wireless link or viceversa. A loop may be formed resulting in data transmission thatcontinually repeats between two nodes. The result is delays in datatransmission and decreased network capacity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one exemplary embodiment, a system for hybrid mesh networking isdescribed. The system includes a root node and a first node connectedvia a wired connection (i.e., Ethernet) to a second node. The root nodeacts as a wired backhaul gateway and provides nodes and devices in thehybrid mesh network with wireless access to another network such as theInternet. Upon the determination that the first node and the second nodeare connected via the Ethernet connection, wireless communicationbetween the first node and the second node is suspended, and the secondnode commences communication with the root node by way of the Ethernetconnection.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method for hybrid mesh networking isdescribed. A first node detects the presence of a second node in thehybrid mesh network and then determines whether the first node and thesecond node are connected via an Ethernet connection. Upon thedetermination that the two nodes are connected via the Ethernetconnection, wireless communication between the first node and secondnode is suspended. Further communication between the first node and thesecond node then commences by way of the wired connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a hybrid mesh network implemented in an urbansetting.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hybrid mesh network including a root node,intermediate nodes, and end user devices.

FIG. 3 illustrates a node that may be implemented in a hybrid meshnetwork.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for breaking a loop between two nodes in ahybrid mesh network.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for determining role assignment in a hybridmesh network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a hybrid mesh network 100 implemented in an urbansetting. Hybrid mesh network 100 can operate in an urban setting invarious structures including commercial or residential buildings101-103. Hybrid mesh network 100 may be a mesh network that includesboth wired nodes 120 and 125 and wireless nodes 110, 115, 130, and 135.Route 140 may be a wired route (e.g. Ethernet) between nodes 120 and125. Alternatively, the wired route can be a dedicated point-to-pointmicrowave link that provides an Ethernet abstraction. A route may alsobe wireless as is the case with routes 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, and 170.The illustrated routes (140-170) demonstrate the variety of possibleroutes and associations between the nodes.

Hybrid mesh network 100 may allow for the transmission of variouselectromagnetic waves, including wireless radio signals. Hybrid meshnetwork 100 may be an IEEE 802.11 (Wireless LAN), IEEE 802.16 (WiMax),or other IEEE standards based network. Hybrid mesh network 100 may belocal, proprietary, or part of a larger wide-area or metropolitan areanetwork (WAN or MAN). Certain security protocols or encryptionmethodologies may be used to ensure the security of data exchanges overnetwork 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hybrid mesh network 200 including a root node 210,intermediate nodes 220A-220G, and end user devices 230A-230B. A hybridnetwork 200 like that of FIG. 2 may be established in an urban settinglike that illustrated in FIG. 1. Routes 290, 292, and 294 are wiredroutes between nodes 220A-220B, 220C-220D, and 220 D-220E, respectively.Where two nodes are connected by wired and wireless routes, the wiredroute may serve as another uplink option for the nodes in the network200. Hybrid mesh network 200 can support more than one wired networksegment at different levels in the topology. FIG. 2 illustrates variouspossibilities for node associations and routing. For example,information may be transmitted between root 210 and user device 230A byway of wireless route 282 to node 220B, then node 220A by way of wiredroute 290, followed by a hop to node 220C by way of wireless route 250and on to user device 230A by way of wireless route 260. The same originto destination may be achieved by way of node 220B and node 220C usingonly wireless routes 282, 255, and 260 (i.e., omitted the wiredtransmission to node 220A by way of route 290). Network 200 may havecertain redundancies in order to maintain optimal network connectivity.For example, each node may be connected to at least two nodes in orderto maintain connection during a failure in a transmission path.

Root node 210 of FIG. 2 may be a wired backhaul gateway that providesother nodes and devices in the network 200 with access to anothernetwork such as the Internet. Backhaul throughput is the throughputbetween a node and the root node 210. Root node 210 may advertise aninfinite backhaul throughput to other nodes and devices in the network200.

Root node 210 may be an access point, a proxy server, and/or a firewallserver. Root node 210 may be implemented such that it can withstand afailure in its transmission path. For example, if the backhaulthroughput of root node 210 fails, root node 210 may establish awireless upstream connection with another root node (not shown) in thenetwork 200 to maintain network connectivity for all downstream nodesand devices. If backhaul throughput is restored, root node 210 can thenrevert back to being a root node for optimal performance instead ofwirelessly communicating with said other root node. Nodes 220A-220G mayinclude a variety of wired and/or wireless transceiver devicesdistributed over a particular geographic area, which may be as local asthe interior of a building or expansive as a metropolitan area andsurrounding environs (e.g., the urban environment of FIG. 1).

Each of nodes 220A-220G may receive information transmitted over a routeincluding root node 210. For example, nodes 220A, 220B, 220F and 220Gmay receive information directly from root node 210 whereas informationsent to node 220C may have to pass through node 220A or 220B. Wirelesslink 240 illustrates a wireless connection between node 220A and rootnode 210. Node 220A is, in turn, a parent node to node 220C throughwireless link 250 as is node 220B by way of wireless link 255. Nodes220A and 220B are connected via wired link 290 in addition to wirelesslink 245. Nodes 220A and 220B can receive and/or transmit informationthrough either link.

Some nodes in network 200 may automatically associate with root node210. Alternatively, nodes may associate with a parent node based on, forexample, uplink throughput. For example, node 220C may considerassociating with various candidate nodes in an effort to communicatewith root node 210. The candidate nodes for such a communications linkinclude nodes 220A and 220B. Using information concerning both backhauland local throughput for each of the candidate nodes, node 220C maycalculate an uplink throughput for each candidate node. An uplinkthroughput of a candidate node is an approximate throughput from theroot node 210 to the calculating node (e.g., node 220C) if that nodewere to associate with a particular candidate node. Based on the uplinkthroughput calculated for each candidate node, the calculating nodeseeking an uplink association (e.g., node 220C) may determine which ofthe candidate nodes offers optimal uplink throughput, which may berepresentative of the highest uplink throughput.

Network nodes 220A-220G may also be used to transmit information to auser device. User devices 230A-B may be used by end users to receiveinformation transmitted through network 200. User devices 230A-B mayinclude wireless enabled devices such as laptops and smart phones.Information from another network, such as the Internet, may betransmitted through mesh network 200 to a user device, such as userdevice 230A. For example, root node 210 can transmit information fromthe Internet to user device 230A through nodes 220A and 220C. Totransmit information from root node 210 to user device 230A through theaforementioned hops would require using wireless link 240 to node 220A,then wireless link 250 to node 220C, and finally, wireless link 260 touser device 230A. Other user devices (e.g., user device 230B) mayreceive information through different routes. As illustrated in FIG. 2,user device 230B is connected to node 220F, which is connected to rootnode 210 over wireless link 280.

FIG. 3 illustrates a node that may be implemented in a hybrid meshnetwork. Node 220A may be implemented in a wireless network like thatdiscussed in the context of FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 1. Node 220A may includeantenna elements 310A-K, a processor 320, memory 330, a communicationdevice 340, and an antenna element selector device 350. Node 220A maylearn about local throughput and backhaul throughput from othercandidate nodes using information sent and received by way of antennaelements 310A-K. The throughput information may be stored in memory 330.Using the information stored in memory 330, processor 320 determines anuplink throughput for each candidate node. Antenna elements 310A-K maythen create a wireless association with the candidate node based on thedetermined uplink throughput and the operation of the antenna elementselector device 350.

Node 220A may include a plurality of individually selectable antennaelements 310A-K like those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,198 for a“System and Method for an Omnidirectional Planar Antenna Apparatus,” thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. When selected,each of the individual antenna elements produces a directional radiationpattern with gain (as compared to an omni-directional antenna). Althoughantenna elements 310A-K are symmetrically positioned along the outeredges of node 220A in FIG. 3, the positioning of antenna elements 310A-Kis not limited to a circular arrangement; the antenna elements 310A-Kcan be positioned or arranged in a variety of ways on node 220A.

Antenna elements 310A-K may include a variety of antenna systems used toreceive and transmit data packets wirelessly. The antenna element 310Acan receive packet data, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) data, UserDatagram Protocol (UDP) data, as well as feedback and otherinformational data from another node using an IEEE 802.xx wirelessprotocol. One or more wireless links may be created by antenna element310A to allow for data transmission between node 220A and various othernodes in hybrid mesh network 100. For example, node 220A may beassociated with one or more parent node(s); further, node 220A may actas a parent node with associated receiving nodes. In some embodiments,node 220A may be associated with only one parent node. Node 220A mayoperate similarly to those wireless devices disclosed in U.S. patentpublication number 2006-0040707 for a “System and Method forTransmission Parameter Control for an Antenna Apparatus with SelectableElements,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

Node 220A learns about various candidate nodes in a network by usingantenna elements 310A-K to periodically send out background traffic. Forexample, antenna element 310A may send out probe requests, which may bereceived by various candidate nodes. Where node 220A is alreadyassociated with a parent node, antenna element 310A may send out proberequests only to certain candidate nodes, such as candidate nodes highlyranked in memory 330 (described below). Antenna element 310A may alsolimit the probe requests to those candidate nodes whose backhaulthroughput is the same or higher than the backhaul throughput of theparent node.

The candidate nodes may send probe responses, which may be received byantenna element 310A. A candidate node in a network may advertisebackhaul throughput information concerning the throughput between thecandidate node and the root node 210. Receiving the backhaul informationin response to its probe request, antenna element 310A may then providesuch information concerning the candidate node to memory 330 and/orprocessor 320. In addition, antenna element 310A may request and receivelocal throughput information. Local throughput is an approximate measureof the throughput between the candidate node and node 220A. Antennaelement 310A may use a signal, such as TxCtrl, to provide localthroughput information based on results of transmission attempts to acandidate node.

Antenna element 310A may further emit a beacon to advertise the backhaulthroughput of node 220A to other nodes in hybrid mesh network 100. Othernodes in hybrid mesh network 100 attempting to learn about mesh trafficcan send out their own probe requests which may be received by antennaelement 310A. In some embodiments, antenna element 310A may be providedwith an uplink throughput associated with the parent node of node 220A.Antenna element 310A may then advertise that uplink throughput as thebackhaul throughput of node 220A. The other nodes may receive thatbackhaul information in response to their own probe requests and may usethat backhaul information to determine whether to associate with node220A.

Processor 320 may execute a routing algorithm to calculate the uplinkthroughput by using local and backhaul throughput information. Theuplink throughput may be ranked in memory 330; memory 330 may alsoreceive updated information concerning the other nodes. Updatedinformation concerning local or backhaul throughput, for example, mayresult in updated uplink throughput.

Other information may be stored in memory 330 and subsequently used. Forexample, information concerning optimal or detrimental antennaconfigurations, attempted transmissions, successful transmissions,success ratio, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and variousassociations between the same may be stored in memory 330 and used inconjunction with or instead of pure throughput calculations to determinean optimized mesh network connection. Information concerning noisefloor, channel, transmission or round-trip delay, channel utilization,and interference levels may also be used.

Processor 320 executes a variety of operations. The processor 320 maycomprise a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 320 may execute programs storedin the memory 330. Using the information in memory 330, processor 320executes the appropriate routing and/or other algorithms determines withwhich of the candidate nodes to associate with node 220A. Thedetermination may be based on the uplink throughput of the candidatenodes. For example, processor 320 may determine uplink throughputs foreach candidate node in hybrid mesh network 100. Uplink throughput may beclosely approximated using backhaul and local throughput information. Anapproximation may be derived using the following formula: 1/(1/localthroughput+1/backhaul throughput). The uplink throughput determined foreach candidate node may also be stored in memory 330. By comparing theuplink throughput information, processor 320 determines which candidatenode to associate with node 220A. For example, the candidate node withthe highest uplink throughput may be chosen to be parent node to node220A.

Processor 320 may also include a centralized management controller (notshown). The centralized management controller may be integrated oroperate in conjunction with processor 320 albeit physically separatefrom the same. The controller may monitor a feature or aspect of thenetwork or node including but not limited to how network topologychanges over time, overall network performance, and node failure events.A node may report to the controller and the controller can in turnmonitor radio channel assignment and various metrics including but notlimited to the number of hops from a candidate node to a root node,route speed, route bandwidth, and load associated with the node.Information about a particular node or aspect of the network may bestored in memory 330 and processed by processor 320. The informationstored in memory 330 may further include each node's BSSID, SNR, andlocal and backhaul throughput or may include load information, thenumber of hops from a candidate node to the root node, and radio channelinformation. The controller can also control network topology and forman arbitrary topology.

The centralized management controller may also monitor and control radiochannel assignment. A first node in the network may be assigned to aradio channel that is different than a channel assigned to a secondnode. The option of assigning different radio channels to differentnodes can improve network capacity by reducing co-channel interference.

A change in radio channel may be implemented on a root node andpropagated down the topology in a matter of seconds according tostandard protocols. The centralized management controller may alsoautomatically scan and monitor different radio channels to determine anoptimal radio channel. Once the controller finds an optimal radiochannel, the change is implemented at the root node and propagateddownwards. A user or client may also access the controller and manuallyselect an optimal radio channel for a particular root node.

Memory 330 may store various executable instructions, algorithms, andprograms. Memory 330 stores information concerning local throughputbetween wnode 220A and various candidate nodes in hybrid mesh network100. The information stored in memory 330 may be used to determine anapproximate uplink throughput from the root node 210 to node 220A. Anexemplary memory 330 may detail information concerning a candidate nodeincluding BSSID, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of last probe response,local throughput, backhaul throughput, and determined uplink throughput.In some embodiments, the stored information may be ranked, for example,by uplink throughputs from highest to lowest. Memory 330 may be dynamicdue to accumulation of information.

Information in memory 330 may be updated such that processor 320 maydetermine that another candidate node has a higher uplink throughput. Asa result, processor 320 may direct antenna element 310A to disconnectfrom a current parent node and to connect instead to the other candidatenode with the higher uplink throughput. In some embodiments, the uplinkthroughput of the other candidate node must exceed the uplink throughputof the current parent by a certain amount before processor 320 willinstruct antenna element 310A to re-associate with the new candidatenode. Heuristics may also be involved in determining whetherdisassociation/re-association occurs.

The memory 330 may also store transmission schedules, which may specifytransmit instructions including physical layer transmission rates for acommunication device 340 and antenna configurations for the antennaelement 310A. The transmissions schedule may also include additionalinformation such as transmit power. The transmission schedule may beembodied as a program for execution by low-level hardware or firmware.The transmission schedule may also be embodied as a set of transmissionmetrics that allow for ‘tuning’ of transmission and retransmissionprocesses in a more efficient manner.

Node 220A may also include a communication device 340 for convertingdata at a physical data rate and for generating and/or receiving acorresponding RF signal. The communication device 340 may include, forexample, one or more radio modulator/demodulators for converting datareceived by the node 220A (e.g., from a router) into the RF signal fortransmission to one or more of the receiving user devices 230A-B. Thecommunication device 340 may also comprise circuitry for receiving datapackets of video from the router and circuitry for converting the datapackets into 802.11 compliant RF signals. Various other hardware and/orsoftware devices and/or elements may be integrated with communicationdevice 340 (e.g., physical integration or a communicative coupling) asto allow for the processing and/or conversion of various other dataformats into 802.xx compliant RF signals.

The processor 320 controls the communication device 340 to select aphysical data rate (i.e., one of the multiple physical data rates). Theprocessor 320 controls the physical data rate at which the communicationdevice 340 converts data bits into RF signals for transmission via theantenna element 310A. The selection of a physical data rate may beassociated with a particular antenna configuration, and/or othertransmission parameters (e.g., transmit power) in the context of atransmission schedule.

Antenna element selector device 350 operates to selectively couple oneor more of the antenna elements 310A-K to the communication device 340.Various embodiments of an antenna elements 310A-K and the antennaelement selector device 350 are disclosed in U.S. patent applicationSer. Nos. 11/010,076; 11/022,080; and 11/041,145, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

The antenna element selector device 350 may be coupled to the processor320 to allow, for example, selection from among multiple radiationpatterns. The processor 320 controls the antenna element selector device350 to select an antenna configuration (i.e., one of the multipleradiation patterns) of the antenna element 310A. The antenna selectordevice 350 may accept and respond to information (instructions) relatedto a transmission schedule with regard to the selection of a particularantenna configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for breaking a loop between two nodes ina hybrid mesh network. More specifically, the method 400 of FIG. 4illustrates the breaking of a loop for a node connected via a wired linkand wireless link in said network. The steps of the process of FIG. 4may be embodied in hardware or software including a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium including instructions executable by aprocessor of a computing device. The steps identified in FIG. 4 (and theorder thereof) are exemplary and may include various alternatives,equivalents, or derivations thereof including but not limited to theorder of execution of the same.

At step 410, a first node detects the presence of a second node in thehybrid mesh network through the Ethernet connection. The second node maybe a root node, upstream node, parent node or ancestor node. Wired nodes(or nodes with a wired connection) send periodic broadcasts (wiredbeacons) over their corresponding Ethernet connection. A first nodedetects a second node on the Ethernet if the first node receives wiredbeacons from the second node. An embodiment of the present invention mayencapsulate wired beacons within a standard VLAN frame with apre-configured VLAN_ID. Wired beacons could be encapsulated in othertypes of packets as long as they could be transported over the Ethernetand could be identified by the access point as wired beacons to beconsumed by the access point and not be forwarded over the wirelesslink.

At step 420, the first node determines whether the first node and thesecond node are connected via an Ethernet connection. Once the secondnode is detected, it may be automatically assumed to be connected, andproceed to step 430 to suspend the wireless connection. Embodiments ofthe present invention may recognize that the Ethernet link may not bethe best connection available for optimal performance. For example, anEthernet connection may support 10 Mbps whereas a wireless 802.11n linkcan support up to 300 Mbps. In such an instance, the access points maysuspend the Ethernet link in favor of the wireless link due to betterthroughput estimate.

Even if the Ethernet link is suspended, the first node may continue toreceive wired beacons. The suspension could be achieved by suspendingthe necessary packet forwarding logic between the wired and wirelessinterfaces to break loops. Through such an implementation, an accesspoint can keep listening to the Ethernet interface(s) and listen forwired beacons.

At step 430, wireless communication between the first node and thesecond node is suspended based on the determination that the first nodeand the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection.Communication between the first node and the second node then commencesby way of the Ethernet connection. The suspension of wirelesscommunication between the first node and second node prevents loopformation. Suspension of wireless communication may also occur upon thedetection through the Ethernet of a gateway in the network, a root node,a parent or ancestor node, or the appearance of a source packet onmultiple ports.

Wireless communication may also be suspended upon the determination thata particular node in the LAN or within a cluster of nodes has thehighest approximation of uplink throughput to the root node. Forexample, a first node and second may be connected by a wired andwireless link. The approximation of uplink throughput information of thesecond node may be received by the first node as a result of a proberequest. The first node may alternatively receive the approximation ofuplink throughput of the second node via a broadcast, multicast orunicast addressing, or any other method of disseminating throughputinformation. Such message or broadcast could be sent on a periodic basisor according to a schedule. The first node may compare the receivedapproximation of uplink throughput to local throughput and the node withthe optimal (or highest) approximation of uplink throughput isdetermined.

The processor 320 may determine that the second node has a lesserapproximation of uplink throughput to the root node than theapproximation of uplink throughput of the first node to the root node.In such scenario, the first node has the highest approximation of uplinkthroughput between the two nodes and the first node suspends wirelesscommunication with the second node. The first node may then send amessage or broadcast to all other nodes in the LAN or within a clusterof nodes that it has the highest approximation of uplink throughput tothe root node.

At step 440, wired communication between the first node and second nodecommences by way of the wired connection.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 for determining role assignment in ahybrid mesh network. The steps of the process of FIG. 5 may be embodiedin hardware or software including a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium including instructions executable by a processor of acomputing device. The steps identified in FIG. 5 (and the order thereof)are exemplary and may include various alternatives, equivalents, orderivations thereof including but not limited to the order of executionof the same.

At step 510, a node may send out a message (e.g., using AddressResolution Protocol) to a gateway via a wired connection. For example, afirst node may use a gateway detection mechanism to send out a messageto the gateway to elicit a response from it. The message or broadcastcould be sent on a periodic basis or according to any other schedule.

At step 520, the node determines whether the node has direct or indirectconnection with the gateway based on the gateway response to the messageand a detectable presence of a wired beacon on the Ethernet connection.The gateway may or may not send a response and the node may or may notreceive a response from the gateway. In any instance where the nodereceives a response from the gateway or where the presence of a wirebeacon is detected, such response or information may be stored in memory330 and processed by processor 320. If the node does not receive aresponse from the gateway within a certain period of time, the nodedetermines that there is an indirect connection between the node and thegateway (e.g. the transmission path to the gateway traverses at leastone hop). The node may then communicate with the gateway via an uplinkconnection with another node at step 530.

If the node receives a response from the gateway and a wired beacon isdetected, the node may determine that there is an indirect connectionbetween the node and the gateway. The node may communicate with thegateway via an uplink connection with another node at step 530. If thenode receives a response from the gateway and a wired beacon is notdetected, the node may determine that there is a direct connectionbetween the node and gateway (e.g. the transmission path to the gatewaydoes not traverse a hop). The node may then communicate with the gatewaywithout requiring an uplink connection to another node at step 540.

In step 540, wireless communication between the second node and anupstream node is suspended after the processor 320 determines that thesecond node has a lesser approximation of uplink throughput to the rootnode than the approximation of uplink throughput of the first node tothe root node.

The present invention may be implemented in the context of core andaccess networks. A hybrid mesh may be an access network that provideswireless clients communication access to the core network, which thenprovides access to other networks such as the Internet. A root node insuch a network provides wireless access to the core network. A gatewayin the core network then provides access to another network such as theInternet. The core network may include backhaul links, which could bewired (Ethernet) or wireless (microwave or point to point), or evenanother independent hybrid mesh network. Chains of hybrid mesh networkscan be created to establish more than two levels thereby extending corev. access heirarchys in the network.

Other network routes may be used besides wired and 802.x wirelessnetworks. For example, in addition to multiple 802.x radios (e.g., a 5GHz and a 2 GHz radio), other point-to-point links may used such asmicrowave, Bluetooth, and fiber. Such links could be used to improvecapacity and/or serve as a redundant link for failovers.

While the present invention has been described in connection with aseries of illustrative embodiments, these descriptions are not intendedto limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forthherein. To the contrary, the present descriptions are intended to coversuch alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims and otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for networking in a hybrid mesh network,the system comprising: a first node configured to be deployable among aplurality of nodes in the hybrid mesh network, the first node beingfurther configured to be communicatively connected to a second node ofthe plurality of nodes by a wireless connection, and to becommunicatively connected to a root node, wherein the first nodeincludes a wired communication interface, a wireless communicationinterface and a packet forwarding logic between said wired and wirelessinterfaces; and wherein the first node is configured to detect that thefirst node is communicatively connected to the second node by a wiredconnection in addition to the wireless connection by receiving a wiredbeacon, to determine, in response to receiving an approximation uplinkthroughput of the second node through the root node, that the first nodehas an uplink throughput to the root node that is greater than that ofthe second node, and, in response to the detection and thedetermination, to suspend said packet forwarding logic between saidwired and wireless interfaces of the first node to break a loop betweenthe wired connection and the wireless connection, and wherein the firstnode continues to receive wired beacons from a plurality of other nodesin the hybrid mesh network by way of the suspended wired connection withthe second node; wherein the first node is further configured to suspendthe packet forwarding logic of the wireless connection based ondetection of an appearance of a source packet on multiple ports.
 2. Thesystem in claim 1, wherein the first node is further configured tosuspend the packet forwarding logic of the wireless connection based ondetection of another gateway via the wired connection.
 3. The system inclaim 1, wherein the first node is further configured to suspend thepacket forwarding logic of the wireless connection based on detection ofthe root node via the wired connection.
 4. The system in claim 1,wherein the first node is further configured to suspend the packetforwarding logic of the wireless connection based on detection of anupstream node via the wired connection.
 5. The system in claim 1,wherein the second node is configured to commence communication with theroot node by way of the first node, in response to the determination. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the wired connection is an Ethernetconnection, and wherein the root node is configured to act as a gatewaybetween a wired network and the plurality of nodes.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the first node is configured to suspend the wirelessconnection by initiating a change changing of a radio channel of thefirst node or the second node.
 8. The system of claim 7, furtherincluding a centralized management controller configured to monitor andassign radio channel selection of the first node and the second node. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the centralized management controller isconfigured to direct the second node to suspend the wireless connectionwith the root node and wherein the second node commences communicationwith the root node by way of the first node and the wired connectionbased on a direction by the centralized management controller.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the centralized management controller isconfigured to assign the first node and the second node to differentradio channels.
 11. A method for networking in a hybrid mesh network,the method comprising: detecting, by a first node configured to bedeployable among the hybrid mesh network, a presence of a second node inthe hybrid mesh network, wherein the first node includes a wiredcommunication interface, a wireless communication interface and a packetforwarding logic between said wired and wireless interfaces;determining, by the first node, that, in addition to beingcommunicatively connected by a wireless connection, the first node and asecond node have become communicatively connected via an Ethernetconnection; and in response to receiving an approximation uplinkthroughput of the second node through a root node, determining, by thefirst node, that the first node has an uplink throughput to the rootnode that is greater than that of the second node; and in response tothe detection and the determination, suspending said packet forwardinglogic between said wired and wireless interfaces of the first node tobreak a loop between the wired connection and the Ethernet connection,and wherein the first node continues to receive wired beacons from aplurality of other nodes in the hybrid mesh network by way of thesuspended Ethernet connection; wherein the determination that the firstnode and the second node have become communicatively connected via theEthernet connection is based on detection of a source packet on multipleports.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination that thefirst node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connectionis based on detection of a gateway via the Ethernet connection.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the determination that the first node andthe second node have become communicatively connected via the Ethernetconnection is based on detection of the root node via the Ethernetconnection.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination thatthe first node and the second node have become communicatively connectedvia the Ethernet connection is based on detection of an upstream nodevia the Ethernet connection.
 15. The method of claim 11, whereinsuspending the wireless connection between the first node and the secondnode includes initiating a change of a radio channel of the first nodeor the second node.